Core Insights - The J. M. Smucker Company's U.S. Retail Pet Foods segment experienced a 7% year-over-year decline in net sales to $413.2 million, indicating ongoing normalization in the category after elevated activity in previous periods [1][7] Sales Performance - Segment net sales were impacted by volume and mix, which reduced sales by 8 percentage points, primarily due to lower sales in dog snacks and the lapping of contract manufacturing revenues from divested pet food brands [2][7] - Net price realization contributed positively, adding 1 percentage point to net sales, reflecting higher pricing across the pet food portfolio, although it was insufficient to fully counteract the decline in dog snacks [2][3] Category Performance - Performance varied across product categories, with dog snacks being the main area of weakness, although there have been signs of improvement in recent periods [3] - In contrast, cat food showed growth during the quarter, partially offsetting the declines in dog-related products and supporting overall segment performance [3] Profitability - Despite the decline in net sales, segment profit increased by 2% year-over-year to $124.4 million, with the segment profit margin expanding by 280 basis points to 30.1% [4][7] - The margin expansion was attributed to lower costs and higher net price realization, which more than offset the negative impact of unfavorable volume and mix [4] Overall Outlook - The results indicate that while sales in the pet food segment remain soft, the segment is gradually settling into more normal demand patterns following unusual comparisons from the previous year [5]